We know some people are going
to disagree with our list. Indeed,
in some quarters, the fact that we didn’t include Kony 2012 is going to be enough
to send some in the socialsphere over the edge.

It is, after all, arguably
the most astonishingly successful social media effort ever. And everyone is reverse engineering the campaign to see if they can replicate it.

It’s just that ultimately, we found certain aspects of the effort unsettling for
reasons we haven’t quite taken the time to fully puzzle together in our own minds.

But the other, far more
important reason: This particular list is for brand-oriented social initiatives
versus cause-oriented efforts (or political, for that matter - which would have resulted in the Obama campaign's inclusion).

And in that regard, like a few of our Top 10 lists so far this year, it is one that is dominated by Coca-Cola. It's no wonder the brand has been named the 'Creative Marketer of the Year' for the 2013 Cannes Festival.

So: Here’s our list. If you agree, let us know. If you
disagree, make your own list and share.

As readers of my books THE
ON-DEMAND BRAND andBRANDING UNBOUND know, I don’t consider mobile advertising very compelling. So it
won’t come as a shock that there isn't much in the way of pure-play mobile ads in this year’s list of top 10 mobile marketing initiatives.

For me, mobile isn’t about taking an ad model
from the old-school Internet – namely an "ad banner" – and plopping it onto a
business-card size screen, or even the larger screen of an iPad.

It’s about creating unique and
differentiating branded experiences that drive home your value proposition in
amazing new ways.

To that end, here are 10 of my favorite mobile promotional initiatives for 2012.

Agree with my list? Disagree? What initiatives would you ad to the list?

Shortlist, a weekly men's magazine in the UK, is using Blippar augmented reality tech to make this week's cover come to life in an all-new way.

Time will tell if this kind of effort helps shore up print media. But you have to wonder if readers will prefer to have these kinds of experiences on their tablet editions instead of having to go to all the trouble with their mobile phones.

But what's your view? Do cover games augment reality for magazine readers - or detract from it?